CSIL: Global furniture trade to climb 3.2% in 2014

MILAN, Italy — Global furniture trade is forecast to rise to $128 billion in 2014, a 3.2% gain from the anticipated $124 billion expected for 2013, according to the Milan-based Centre for Industrial Studies.

CSIL's recently published World Furniture Outlook 2014 analyzes the furniture trade between 70 major countries. According to an abstract of the report, the trade figures for 2013 and 2014 will eclipse the pre-recession peak of $117 billion in trade between the 70 countries in 2008.

The report looks at activity in furniture-producing countries such as China, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United States as well as furniture consumption by geographical regions, such as Western Europe, North America, Asia, South America and Central and Eastern Europe.

It identifies the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Canada as the leading importers. It goes on to state that the U.S. and Canada have reached or exceeded pre-recession import levels, but that the recovery has been slow in Europe.